I just had to run downstairs during a commercial to comment on this. The news just interviewed someone from a Kansas group of protesters who've come to our town to picket Pridefest. God hates America b/c we tolerate homosexuality. APparently, they have a picture of Matthew Shepard on their website and a counter of how many days he's been in hell.

So, they've chosen to "grace" our city/state now. They'll picket/protest the gay parade tomorrow morning and then head to several churches over the weekend that appear to be too lenient towards gays. My church is first on the list tomorrow night.

OMG, What a bunch of hateful freaks. How does one to react to the crap they spew? I guess the city plan is to simply try to ignore them.

Yes, that is Fred Phelps from Topeka. He brings his hate to our lovely little town on a regular basis to picket whatever and whereever. The worst part is that they actually have young children in their crowds holding those horrid signs.

I used to be a volunteer at our local fine arts theater and they were there almost every performance. It got to be that there was a general "public service announcement" against him, asking people to just ignore his presence.

I am from Kansas also and very familiar with the Phelps family. Everyone in Kansas HATES that they are from our state. He protests the most bizarre things. Some things that you can't even figure it how it relates to gays or anything else. I went to a University of Kansas football game one time and he was there with his whole family protesting. They protest at lots of funerals including Matthew Shepard (was killed in Wyoming I believe). They have a website and it is the most vile disguisting thing you have ever saw. They are really a bunch of crazies and it is best to just ignore them. I think they really get off on a lot of attention.

El, no one (at least here) gives him credibility. Everyone thinks he is nuts. I have never known or heard of a single person that has given him an ounce of positive attention. His picket signs are SO far from JUST anti-homosexual rhetoric. They are so hateful and horrid that I cannot imagine a news crew goin close. AT least around here, everyone just shakes their heads in awe of the stupidity and ignorance of him.

HOly Cow. Don't people have anything better to do with thier lives then to go around cultivating hatred. This guy needs to find someone to love and leave everyone else alone. what a sad life to be so consumed with hate. just in case it isn't clear, God doesn't hate anyone. Ans as for this phelps guy. he obviously knows nothing of my God.

The truest answer to violence is love. The truest answer to death is life. The only prevention for violence is for the heart to have no violence within it. We cannot prevent evil through any system devised by mankind. But we can grapple with evil and defeat it, but only with love—real love.

Everytime I hear Matthew Shepard's name, tears spring to my eyes. His parents deserve saintly status for not going on a murderous rampage among those who continue to celebrate his death. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.

Yes he/they really did protest in PGH the weekend of the public memorial service for Fred Rogers.

As I recall they got no news coverage, only enough info that people knew they were going to be in town. The suggestion in the letters to the editor was that people show them the kind of love Fred would have.

Yuck! Matt Shepard died in my town at the local hospital. For the 5 year anniversary of his death there was a huge pride festival at CSU stadium. The city allowed that a$$ a permit but put him in the corner of the parking field really far away from the festival! He was so POed! We just laughed at him!

Eden , working on a PhD in Education mama to Laurelle (16), Ori (6), Yarrow (4) and Linus (1) partner to Brice.

He protests regularly in Boulder, and I have gotten into one screaming match with one of his cronies.

I honestly thought I was going to be ill when he protested Matthew's funeral. We did The Laramie Project at CU and there were rumors that he was coming to picket....never did though. I do know he picketed the show when it opened in Denver.

As much of a non violent pacifist as I am...I can not honestly think that this man has any place in the world, especially not if his hate reaches impressionable minds. I have wished that someone would decide to take him out. He is just a useless waste of breathable air and human skin. I can't express how much I cannot stand the man and everything he stands for.

I just went to the website and am sickened by what WBC preaches using God as a front for their sickness. I am a believer in a kind, loving and just God...Not a hate war mongerer this jerk is. He'll burn. This group is just like the KKK, Nazis, etc. perpetuating hate in God's name. The sorrow I feel is immeasurable.

He was on the radio once and I called in and evangelized to him talking about the works of Christ. The host thought I was really funny as it made Phelps really mad, especially when a bunch of other callers did it too.

From Kansas too...man this guy is horrible!!!! I also guessed who was being talked about by the title. He just makes me sick!

He thrives on publicity, so the best thing to do is ignore him.

I know there was some thing that was done one time to counteract him, but I don't remember what it was. I think maybe some fundraising thing where for every member of Phelps party, a donation was made to some group he was picketing (or something like that). Really made him mad. If anyone remembers what that was exactly, please post it.

Phelps was planning on picketing a gay bar (no idea where this was a while ago) and the bar owner decided that he would do a sort of "protest-a-thon" kind of thing. With patrons pledging a certain amount of $$ for each hour that Phelps was out there picketing. The story was great, a straight guy and his kid were walking by and saw the commotion and went into the bar and pledged money. I guess the bar was full the entire time that Phelps was there. The bar raised near to $5K and donated all the money to a gay advocacy group I believe.